- ththe best thihing that wewe o isis use our p platform toto ut other yoyounger blacack artiss and gigive them ththeir titime to shinine. - i useded to carry y extra panties inin my pursee in casase i got lulucky. now i cacarry 'em in case e i sneeze.. (audiencnce laughingng) - black tvtv is black k life, anand it is intrinsicacally a partrt of not jujust our popop culture, but of o our actual l story. - i wawant a ass s so big that if i'i'm on top,, he roll l me over, i'm stilill on top.. (aududience laugughing) - yeyeah, it's a a tv show,, but littttle black k kids are watchingng and that't's import. - here's t the originanal chr. (audiencnce laughingng) he drorowned in aa vat ofof activatoror. - we havave a voice,e, it wasas hard workrk, bubut i think the futurere of blblack televivision is brbri. (upbeat t music) jerry: whehere'd yoyou get those? krkramer: the e machine. you wantnt one? jerrrry: no. henry wiwinkler: youou come home, tuturn on thatat televis.

kramer: tatake one. jerry: i donon't want onone! krkramer: no t there good.d. jerry:y: i don't w want it. henry y winkler: what do o you want? you want comedy.y. kramamer: take one! jerrrry: no! krkramer stop p it! jajason alexanander: and boom, ththere you gogo, a situtuation comemedy. sheldodon: bazingaga! tim allelen: this twtwenty -t-three minututes of magic. lucycy: it's soo tasty, too! tracy morgan: you fell in love with these characters. arnold: whwhat chu' talkin' ' about willllis? geri jewell: we need to laugh at ourselves. joey: yoyou hide my y clothe, i'm wearining everything you ow. constance e wu: lalaughter o opens you u u. haley:y: okay ready? sururpri! [screamingng and chaosos] mara b brock akil:l: the thinings that wewe might bee afraid to o talk aboutut. bobow: some pepeople thatt were supposed d to protectct us d didn't do the right t thing. tim reid: like racacism. son: so ththe cops are the babad guys? dre: yeses. bow: n no. kim m fields: clclass wars ralplph: money!! i'm a a millionairire. dadan levy: anand gender diverersity... sarah:h: dad?

mamaura: hi girls.s. ted dansnson: you cacan reach id rereally touchch people's s he. diannene: i hate y you sasam: are youou as tuturned on asas i am? dianne: : more! raininn wilson: : whether it's a a family liliving undeder the sameme roof... jj: dyno-mite! james: now that's the kind of talk i like to hear. rainn wilson: ...or gathered together in a workplace. jack: jennnna, that'ss a glueue stick. jennnna: mmm? rainn wilslson: all ththe gret sitcoms s are about family. debra: so o wonderfuful! kelsey grammar: it's one of the great, great accomplishments of the modern age. [o[opening] michaeael: what hahave we a always saidid was the momost importrtant thing?g? george:: breakfkfast...? michaeael: familyly. george: family, right.t... dadan levy: fafamily is key to t the sitcom. dre: mamama!! rarandall parkrk: it's somomeg that we alall can rerelate t. dre anand mom: shake shakake shake! tracy momorgan: you'u're in the peopople's homes for y years.

you'u're a partt of thehe family. eddie:e: one good d thing about moviving here is i hahave no frieiends, anand no distrtractions. that's why i i got a... . gran, what doeoes fonzi sasay? grgrandma: ayyy! jesse e tyler fergrguson: ththe family s sitcom brbris people togogether in a a reallyly unexpecteted way jane leeveves: there's's so manyny differentnt dynamics at worork in famililies. frfrasier: i w want you here, it w will giveve us a chance to o get re -acquainteted! martrtin: that i implies wee were a acquainted d at one poi. jajane leeves:s: there's a lot ofof pain, therere's a lott of lauaughter; you sort o of recognizize yourur dynamic i in there. and you u go, well, , their fafamily is jujust as crazazy a. claire: : i don't rereally cae who kikissed who a and who's t a a pimple on n their heada, and d who's weararing an ououtrageouslyly inapprpropriate drdress... we are goioing to get t togetr and act t like a norormal famy for one e tenth of a a freakingng second, and we'r're going toto do it riright now! come on n lets go! dan n levy: it's's amazing toto sort of t track the h histf the familyly sitcom bebecause you can sesee so much h about culture throughout the years,, now lolooking backck. ♪

jason alexander: and you know, it was really i love lucy that k kind of kicked it t all off. lucy: firsrst operating this evening... stop that now and go back and sit down!! linda lavin: it was a show about a ditzy woman who wawanted to bebe in showow business.s... man: have e you ever consididered acting? everyone: has she ever considered acting? linda lavin: ...and her husband, who is latin and a musician... desisi: honey, y you know how i feel about this. i don't want my wife in show business. lucy: why not? marisa guthrie: lucille ball was always trying to emancipate hersrself from t the wife and the hohomemaker rorole. bob saget: and every time she gets the opportunity, somethining goes awrwry. jaleel white: lucille ball was fearless in her physical comedy. you know, women were supposed to be demure anand dainty a and in theheir place..

tim allen: lucille ball was one of my favorites for titiming her b bits. desi: what do you think you're doing? well? jennifer armstrong: i love lucy became a phenomenon instantly. lorrainene ali: whwhen you thk about the era that lucille ball came up in, and what she was able to achieve it's astounding. dedesi: hey! i i'm a fafather, i'm m a father! tom gilbert: when lucy and ricky had a baby, it was like huge. it was the highest-rated show of the series. it c changed the dynamic because all of a sudden it became centered around the family unit. i think i love lucy was the big bang of the family sitcom. marisa guthrie: then the family moved to the suburbs... lucy: gee isn't this exciting.

we are in our very own home. marisa guthrie: and that mirrored what was happening in america a at the timime. patrick gomez: advertisers wanted to cater towards that new suburban family that needed to buy that kitchchen applianance or needed to o buy that v vacuu. jacqueliline coley:: and afafter i loveve lucy, there was s a formulaa for whwhat the amemerican famy should l look like.. cybill shepherd: ozzie and harriet... announcer: the adventures of ozzie and harriet. cybill shepherd: i just loved everybody in it, actually. david:d: hurry up,p, bring it t. i'm starved! candice bergen: it was a happy, gentle american family of the 1950s. ozzizie: how mucuch do you need? david: never mind pop, that's okay. ozzie: no don't worry about it, you can pay me back. david: honest pop, i don't want it. ricky: what's the matter with you david, you got rocks in your head? linda lavin: the kids were very polite. everybody was very nice to each other. those e were not real peoeople, but ththey entertatained anand delighteted us. jijim: alrightht kids, dininns onon, we're e sitting down.

jennifer armstrong: when you get to father knows best, it's very patriarchal, dealing with tiny little problems. jim: ah.h... a quietet eveningt homeme. i could d use it. [slam] billy gray: and i played bud. bud d usually had a problem with the truth telling, on s some level.l. jim: w what was alall thatat racket upstairs? bud: i didn't hear anything. billy gray: father knows best represented the good life; the amamerican dreream. jim:m: i'll readad you one story, t then off toto bed you. bob: and then leave it to beaver enters the sitcom realm in 1957. wally: what's that? beaver: a haircut i think. tony dow: the real key to leave it to beaver is ththat it's wrwritten fromoa chilild's point t of view. walllly: why dididn't you let stanley cut your hair? beaver: i losted my money. jerry mathers: you have the character of beaver and you have wally his older brother who usually does things right, beaver's always the one that gets inin trouble. june: [gasps]

marisa guthrie: and there were the parents to teach them, to show them the right path. ward: we w want you toto feel t you cacan come to o me or to yr mother with any problem and we'll understand. patrick gomez: in the 1950s, sitcoms were really giving us an idealilistic versision of a america. jacqueueline coleyey: but asas we get ininto the 60s0, we'll l see differerent typepes of familily sitcoms. steven: i'm sure i'll be able to handle a little washing and to cook an occasional meal.

♪ sam: i'm'm a bad d mommy. mamax: no, you'r're a didisaster momom. sam: you'r're a big f------ - c--- yourur sister's s an a------, and d your otherer sister's s . (off camera):: aww, thahanks mom! pamela adldlon: betterer thins is aboutut a single e mom whos raraising her r three daughters s on her ownwn. mamax: you're e my mom, i i t yoyou to knonow if i have sexr i wawant to get t high. pamelala adlon: itit's didirty, it's s funny. sam:m: no! hide e things frfrom me pleaease! ememily vandererwerff: betetters is a f fascinatingng examplelf the ways t that the fafamily sim has adadapted to t the 21st cec. frankie:e: mom, where's ththe broom? sam:m: what are e you beining, a witchch? frankie:e: no, i'm g going to a uselesess housewifife from theh. sam: i i love thatat! dan levyvy: throughohout the years, the boundararies have been pushehed back andnd the wawalls have come down..

if y you look baback to the e, ththere was a a lot of cononfin what family looked like and what was acceptable and d what wasn'n't. steven: hi chipper. robbie: hi squirt. chip: hi cats. barry livingston: my three sons was the first show that deviated from the perfect pleasantville nuclear family.. ernie:e: you gonnana blow up e stove e again mr. douglas? steve: no ernie, i don't think i'll make that same mistake again. [laughs] [small expolsion] barry livingston: it was a show about a single dad. he was a widower with three boys, trying to raise them in an all-male household. chip: you dry. barry livingston: everyone had to do something. everyone had to pitch in. we did dishes, you know, we were darning socks. these are things that t you nevr saw inin the ozzieie and harrt show or donna reid or leave it to beaver.. [phohone rings]] mike: hey that's mine, i've got it! bob saget: when you watch a show that's based on losing someone... ststeven: comeme on, look k o. yoyou're goingng to tear i . bob saget: that adds a deep-rooted truth to the hardness of life.

and then it gives s comedy even morore of a reason to go o as crazy a as you wawant to go.. uncle e charlie: i i think that shirt's done. robbie: oh my gosh my shirt! steven: well, robbie you'll just have to wear your pants higher. papatrick gomemez: in the e , yoyou see the e sitcom movovey from telelling storiries that e solelyly focussed d on the nucu, suburban f family. jim m colucci: d divorce hadad e more prerevalent in n the 60, it hadad become momore part of normal l american life, but it t took a whilile for t to be reflected in sitcocoms. ♪ the bradady brunch. the e brady brbrunch. ♪ ♪ that's the way we all became ... ♪ christopher knight: the brady bunch is the story of two s separate fafamilies being glueued togetherer. lloyoyd schwartztz: a maman with three boys, a woman with three girls. the man was going to be a widower. the woman, divorced, but divorce was a taboo topic on television. so t they said, , let's just leave e it so you u don't kno. [yellingng] mike: what's all the yelling about, huh? bobby: she stole our ball.

marcia: i'm just trying to find out what they did with my school awards. lloyd schwartz: the brady bunch was an evolution from like leave e it to beavaver, it wasan from the k kid's pointnt of vi. cicindy: will l you lend me your r skate key?y? bobby: i'm not lending you anything to a snitcher. eve plumb: it was all about what children are having problems with.h. their apappearance, , or ther schoolwowork or theieir frien. peteter brady: p pete brbrady intercepts and goes for the shot... eve plumb: oh you broke the vase, it was those kininds of everyday p problems. cindy: m marcia. i'm'm proud o be youour sister n no matter how terrible you look. marcia: thanks a lot! andy greene: this is airing in the nixon era, when vietnam is raging and people are losing faith in government. lloyd schwartz: all these things were happening and the brady buncnch was s kind of a a refuge. mamalcom jamalal warner: w watg the brady bunch and having all ththese brothehers and sisistet was a grgreat getawaway for m. michchael schneieider: the b y buncnch was a huhuge succecess c that l led to the e partridge ey whwhich reallyly attracteded a ,

hungry audience. shirley: hey kids, hollywood boulevard! danny bonaduce: we were a musical family that would travel aroround dodoing shows.s... keith: (singing) oh girl, you make my day. helen hunt: i was for sure going to marry david cassidy. that was definitely going to happen. patrick gomez: the partridge family is trying to embrace this like hippie cool culture. danny: what did you hit mom? shirley: i think it was a studebaker. man: you crazy hippies, it's not enough you don't trust anyone over 30. now you're trying to wipe us out! laura morowitz: but it takes this phenomenon of the countercululture and makes itit very safefe. danny:y: now relax mum.... but just remember our whole future depends on these next few minutes. shirley: ahhh. barry livingston: it was an escape from the real world for a lot of people. news anchor: in new york, a student protest is met by

construction workers and at kent state in ohio, 4 students are killed. ethan alter: but some people didn't want to hide from w what was happenining. drew cararey: peoplele were like, no, , we want toto hear about all l this stuffff and w it's affffecting ourur famili. ththat's when n shows likee all inin the familily came o. ethahan alter: n norman learar t the beginnnning of hisis careerd was lookining to find d a show t he c could really make his own anand he was t turned on t ta brbritish series calalled 'til d death do usus part'. norman lear: it wawas abouout a bigoteted father and d i was saidid holy m moly. thatat was the w way i greww up, anand i knew i had a shoh. crew: aiair pilot. take one. ethan alter: they shot the pilot at abc. it featured d carroll o'connor and jean s stapleton as archie and edith bunker. actor 1: we just don't see any evidence, of god... alright? actress 1: that's right daddy. archie: i know we had a couple of pinkos in the house but i didn't know we had a pair of atheists. ethan alter: it was not well received by abc. they watched it and felt the chemistry wasn't there between n the parentnts and d the kids..

norman leaear: and thehen askeked me to make it agagain with twowo different young people. actor 2: we just don't see any evidence, of god, that's all. actress 2: that's right daddy. archie: i know we had a couple of pinkos in this house but i didn't know we had a pair of atheists. emily vanderwerff: the network freaks out about whether people will be able to watch this show that has like real issues. norman leaear: everybody is nervous and therere are people sayaying theyey're gonna a kill you.. they're e going to s shoot you dead in n the streetets.

♪ herbie j pilato: in 1970, cbs is trying to change theheir landndscape. they hadad all thesese rural l family sititcoms; they were looking for more sophisticated sitcoms. patrick gogomez: afterer abc dedeclined to o move forwawardh the all in the family pilot, norman leaear made the dedecision to o move the show ovever to cbs.. sally struthers: they said yes but you need a new set of kids. so r rob reiner r and i were the ththird set ofof children for ararchie and edith bubunker. norman lear: so, i made the pilot for the third time. same s script. i w wouldn't change a a word. archieie: so let's's hear it again, , huh? what did you mean by what god? michael: we just don't see any evidence of god, that's all. gloria: that's right daddy. archie: that's right daddy?

well i knew we had a couple of pinkos in this house... but i didn't know we had atheists! john lithgow: i do remember seeing the opening episode and rerealizing, m my god, te groundnd is shakining under m. michaeael: now, i'i'm going to tell you something. gloria: michael... michael: no no, wait a second... sally struthers: and we reach ovever each othther atat the tablele and we have argrguments...... mimichael: bececause guys s e yoyou are unwiwilling to g give black man, the mexican american and all the other minorities their just and rightful hard earned share of the american dream. sally struthers: that didn't happen before. we got real. bambmbi haggins:s: political strifefe. interperersonal issu. generationon gaps. and d they're dedealing with it alall in the f famil. michchael: now i i suppose y ye going toto tell me that the black man has had the same opportunity in this country as you? archie: more. he's had more. i didn't have no million people out there marching and protesting to get me my job. edith: no, his uncle got it for him. john lithgow: archie bunker was saying things that you just don't say on television. michchael: just because a guy is sensitive and he's an intellectutual and he wears g glasses, yoyou make himim out a a queer.

archieie: i never r said a gy who wearars glasses s is a quee. a guy who o wears glglasses is a a four eyese, a a guy who's s a fag isis a queer.. tim allen:n: you'll wawatch tt show andnd even end up looking around like you're gonna be arrested. john lithgow: it was jaw dropping. itit was funnyny, but it was veryry challengiging, and you realalized normaman learar is takingng us into a a whole neww realm ofof comedy. norman l lear: the b blowback from thehe public wawas burid byby the excititement and the applauause. bob leszczak: the show was number one for a long time. ethan alter: it changed cbcbs and d their branand as a netet. as a resesult of all in thehe family, they turned to n norman leararo creaeate more shshows in thahat. archie: ththere's a personon at the door. maude! adrienne barbeau: bea arthur played maude as edith's cousin onn all inin the familily. maude: maudie is here.

jim colucci: and she could take on archie head to head. maude: nowow you can e either come to o the table and eat, or you can lie there and feed off your own fat. jim colucci: the story goes that by the time that episode had aired, fred d silverman,, who was s in charge e of cbs at thehe time, hadad called norman l lear and sasaid, get ththat woman her own n show. ♪ anand then thehere's maude..... ♪ ♪ and then there's maude! ♪ ♪ that uncompromisin', enterprisin', ♪ ♪ anything but tranquilizin', ♪ ♪ right on maude! ♪ adriennene barbeau: : it was t your a all-americacan family. carol:l: you're gegetting sesenile in yoyour old ageg. maude: thank you darling. i only hope i live long enough to become a burden to you. adrienne barbeau: maude is an indepependent strorong woman w who speaksks her mind.d. she was mamarried to her fourth husband, walterer, played by bill l macy. maude: i i don't havave time to fix y you your breakfast! here, have some cold knackwurst. eric mccormick: i loved their combative relationship. i still toto this day y if somey pisseses me off i'i'll say,

"g"god'll get t you fofor that walalter." maude: god'll get you for that walter. patrick gomez: maude was really the first time that we saw such a fiercelyly independedent won who wasnsn't afraid d to spek her mindnd at the cecenter ofof a family y sitcom. normanan lear: mauaude had a maid flolorida who was a a great chararacter. henry: i'm henry evans ... norman lear: her husband made an appearance. henry: i am proud of you florida ...its just i don't want you to be a maid no more. florida: your mother was a maid. that's how your brothers got through school and you got to be a fireman. norman lear: when john amos and esther rolle finished their scene, we thought, let's fill out that family. ♪ good times! ♪ ♪ good times! jay moriarty: that's the first time you ever saw a black family on television. jj: look who finally got back from her honeymoon in the bathroom mirror. thelma: knock it off jj. your mouth is always ahead of your think piece. lorida: let's face it james, this family ain't

ozzie and harriet. jimmie walker: we were very different than other sitcom families from the point that we were u urban. trying to survive on the south side of chicago with a dad that h has spotty job situations. james:s: it's a cocold world out there, and we can't change it. florida: well maybe we can't change it, james... but we sure can't let it change us. jimmie walker: good times was not only to show the problems, it was t to show thehe love of a minorority familyly. jj: we're e standing in a used car r lot of lovov. james: andnd in 20 yeaears we only turnened out one e clunk. jajacqueline c coley: the e idf white famimilies seeining thingn anan episode o of good times thatat they coululd relatete to theirr own expeperience. ththat is a popower that cannot b be duplicatated with hoursrs of coconversationon.

papatrick gomemez: it showod how w sitcoms weweren't afrarao discuss sosocial issues s tht had d formerly b been taboo. ♪ this i is it. this is it! ♪ ♪ this is life, the one you get.... ♪ caryn james: when you get to something like 'one day at a time', the single mother in that show is divorced. that was unusual for television. julie: i havenen't had a happy minute since we moved to indianapolis. sure was different before the divorce, when daddy was around. ann: yeah yeah, i know. you used to wrap him around your little finger... caryn james: all of the single paparents befofore had beeeen w. and so t television n begins o catch h up with whwho we are. babarbara: whahatchu doing, mom? ann: i am circling the jobs for which it would appear i am qualified. barbara: i don't see any circles. ann: exactly. valerie bertinelli: i mean it was the 70's. women were feeling empowered to havee lilives of their own andnd to ststill have a family. ann: dararling. would like to tl me what's going on between you and chuck? barbara: you're going to die! you had no business telling her. valerie bertinelli: showing what a family goes through,

showing what it's like to raise two daughters in a divorce. ann: we'llll make i it... i promise. i love you. norman lear: we grow up in families and we all shshare these e experiencs in o one way or r another. erernest lee thomas: one day at a time, all in the family, maude, good times... all these family sitcoms they just owned the top 10.

♪ ethan alter: the 1980s were a radical transformation frfrom what amamerica had d n lilike in the e 1960s and d 19. the e economy was boomoming... judge: congratulations sir. ethan alter: ...as the reagan era took hold, there was a rise in conservative values. patrick gomez: we saw american audiences losing interest in sococially relelevant sitco, anand really t the sitcomm ststarted to d die away. gerrad h hall: dramamas had d really takaken over, those sosoaps wewere so big:g: dydynasty, d dallas, mamagnum p.i.. patrick gogomez: and s so you saw the family s sitcom reallyly strived t to findnd a new idedentity. alex: i can't believe you guys can watch this, you look ridiculous. sarah rodman: family ties has one of the great premises i in sitcomom history.. ststeven: halflf a millllion peoplele trying to stop a senseless war... you find that ridiculous? alex: i'm talking about the outfits.

sarah rodman: these two flower children from the 60 's, grow up and then in the 80's suddenly find themselves with t this youngg republicican son. alex: wewell, how do i look? steven: middle aged. michael gross: it was about the clashes betwtween two generatitions. steven: : you're a young man, you shouldn't be worried about success. you should be thinking about hopping on a tramp steamer and going around the world. alex: the 60's are over, dad. steven: thanks for the tip. gerrad hall: family ties is a reversal in many ways of all l in the famamily, excepepw you have t the liberalal pares and d the coconservativeve child. elysyse: this momorning i fofoa copy of ththe wall strtreet joul under his bed. steven: you think maybe he was switched at birth and the rockefellers have our kid? meredith baxter: michael was just wonderful. he was young and energetic and he had such good timing. alex: who did this? michael gross: we started rather slowly,

nbc was s moving uss aroundnd a little bit, trying t to find thehe right t place for r us. jijim colucci:i: family ties pumpeded a little e bit of lie into thehe family sisitcom, bt the sisitcom in gegeneral had bebeen pronouounced dead.d. there wewere very few on the air. and ththen all of f a sudden cs the cosby show in '84. theo: dad, can i have an advance on my allowance? cliff: son, you're already backed up to your 50th birthday. tim allen: the cosby show was a game changer to me. ththis is justst a familyly i adored.d. present history has tainted that a little bit. it didn't t stop the fact thahat that wasas a grouound-breakining expeperience. jacqcqueline cololey: they h has really s sort of idydyllic fam. clairere was a lawawyer. he was a doctor. jaleel white: there was a very natural chemistry between clcliff huxtable and clair and ththeir childrdren that wasasn't clichéhé black k poverty. cliff: sonon, your mother asked me to o come up hehere and kili.

how do you expect to get into college with grades like this? theo: no problem... bambi haggins: there's a much more conservative paradigm that i is drivingg the cosbsby show. theo: instead of acting disappointed because i'm not like you, maybe you can just accept who i am and love me anyway. malcolm-jamal warner: you know, in any other sitcom, that would be the moment where the music would start and the father would embrace the son and say something, you know, really encouraging. cliff: theo... that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard in my life! tom werner: and you could hear the audience gasp because like, this i is a strongng father wo is g going to sasay to his so, as he sasaid, yoyou know, i - cliff: i brought youou in this world, a and i'll tatake you o. tom werner: all of a sudden the audience cheered because it was like e the parentnts are sasaying, yes,s, we'r're taking back the h house. clififf: i just t want you t toe best youou can. thatat's all. malcolm-jamal warner: there was such a love and camaraderie in

the huxtablele family ththat i k you hahad a univerersal audien. tom werner: we got super bowl ratings every single week and they're tuning in because everybody wants to be a huxtable. jacqueueline coleyey: the cosy shshow revitalalized the sitc. warren littlefield: alright, then l let's put c cosby at . let's put t family ties at 8:8:30. michael gross: and then family ties went poom in a huge way. michaeael gross: t that great thursdayay night linineup cosby, f family tieses, cheeeers, night t court. jajacqueline c coley: nbcc reallyly created t this idea of f must see t tv. yoyou're talalking about 20 and 30 and 40 million peopople tuning g in. mimichael grososs: people e y yoyou were onene of americics mostst successfuful fatherers. i said no, it was bill cosby. cosby y was number one. jaleel white: with respect to what's happened of late. it's l like, hugelely disasappointing g to all of f, but hehe set the s standard fr whatat a family y sitcom was.

jim colucci: the cosby show had proven that the fafamily sitcocom was a viable g genre againin. [a[audience lalaughter] lynn: : i'm mr. bebelevedere! gerrad hall: by the late 80s family sitcoms were very popular among the big three networks. gerrad halall: therere was ththis incredidible resurgenc. jejesse: this s is great,, we s should be m mothers. joeyey: ah yeah!h! ethahan alter: f families tutd ininto these t tv shows toto sn aspirational version of what family life could be. urkel:l: did i do that?t? jennififer keishinin armstror: shows like silver spoons and growing pains and all that. it's constant hugging and learning, right? [audience clapping] ethan alter: with the family sitcom at the height of its popularity, fox started momovig ininto the telelevision aren. cedric: fox was new, building their network. they were one of the last mamajors to bubuild a netwtw. patricick gomez: t they decidd theyey were going to usese te fafamily sitcocom to do ththad compete agagainst the e big th. peggy: al, look at our little girl.

we don't really have to go to a recital, do we? ethan alter: and they wound up going inn a cocompletely oppositete directionon. sort o of the antiti- in a way, the a anti-familyly sitc. al: nonow bud, apopologize toto your sister. bud: no. al: okay. anita sarkeesian: married with children is full of trash people ththat do horrrrible thingns and sasay horriblele things. al: quiet you morons! paul reiser: you were always aware they were just wise guys, you know, , zinging each othther. al: peg,g, how couldld you sesell the famamily playboys? jacqueline coley: looking back on it now, i don't know how that show stayed on air. kelly: is this okay, mom? i haven't worn it since grandma's funeral. jim colucci: married with children helped put fox on the map. ethan alteter: this ididea ofa darker famamily presentatition e to p people who o were borededh what the m main familyly sitcs werere offering g at the tim. al: famimily before e you go, would you bring old daddy's shot gun and stand close together?

♪ roseseanne: you u just sit t e anand drink yoyour beer huhu, i'll fix the sink myself. dan: the hell you will! patrick gomez: in the 1990s, we saw the big networks really start to experiment with thehe family sisitcom. gerradad hall: somome sitcomoms were verery edgy, like roseaeanne and married wiwith childreren...

roroseanne: tatalk is cheap, mr.r. fix it. patrick gomez: on the other hand, you had shows that were kind of going back to a more wholesome storytelling, you see that on abc's homome improvememen. ♪ tim allen: in a broad stroke, what home improvement did is, first off, it made a stable family and a loving family. jill: no running in the house! tim: brad! cover the ball with both hands so you don't fumble. go on! jill: tim! tim allen: but also i really wanted to find out what made men tick. tim: boy there's nothingng like the feeleling of rawaw and cold steel hanging onto your hips. latoya ferguson: tim the tool-man taylor. he's a local celebrity. he has his own home imprprovemet show calleled tool timime... tim: you k know what m men, e want a jobob done riright, and we want it done quick. what do we need? audience: more power! tim allen: more power was my moniker my whole life [laughining] plus the grunting [grunt] and blowing stuff up. latoya ferguson: he's like this supposed man's man... patricia r richardson:n: and ththen he comemes home too

a woman who's a feminist... jill: anand under nono circumsts dodo you ever r treat the female sex as though they are housekeepers put here to wait on you hand and foot. tim: honey, you wanna pop that in the washer for me? patricia richardson: what was great about our family, was that even though we disagreed, randy: i t think i'lll just p pop on out t of here.. patricia richardson: we loved each other and always made up. patrtrick gomez: home improvemement was proof that a traditioional familyly sitcm could ststill be a h hit, but ththrough the e 90's we c continued t to see ththe famimily change.e. we saw p people haviving chchildren mucuch later inin e and ththe family s sitcom rereflected ththat. paul reiser: in mad about you, the marriage itself wawas the prememise ofof the show.w. mamara brock a akil: a strong woman character against a strong male character, and so the fireworks... it just t kept happepening. helen huntnt: watchingng how twtwo people try to love each otheher overer time.

jamie:e: it doesn't bother you that we haven't had sex in five days? paul: hello. paul reiser: you know the feeling when you go to a party and yoyou and yourur wife and you'rere having fufun, and you u say goodninight, yoyou get intoto the car.. the e minute thahat car door closes, , that's thehe show. jamimie: what'ss going g on with usus? paul: what's going on is that we're married five months and the sexual part is over. see i thought you understood that, i'm sorry. that's what happens, i play checkers in the park and you start arguing with busses, come on. jamie: it's not funny! helen hunt: they are these two people who can voice their own opinions without fear and be awful and apologize and d hit a dry y spell in the marriaiage and then find the heat between them again. people were feeling probably that combination of, i relate to it and i aspire to it... jamie: more. paul: come here. helen hunt: ...that made it very much its own. paul reiser: eararly, likeke season onone i think, ththe network k said you guys shoululd have a k kid. and we wenent no, nono, no, no, , no. we don't,, that's t too soon.

seasonon two is time for a a kid. it went, i it was like the n network wasas, like annoyoying in-lawaws. oh, anand are youu guys gononna try? like, wewe'll let yoyou know. you know, , on raymondnd, you nenever saw ththe kids. ray: hi mom. doris: hi.i. i saw youour car l up befefore. you d didn't cal! ray: no.o. patrtricia heatoton: we realy wantnted to focucus on the marrrriage and t their rerelationshipip with the e pa. raray: hi, i'm'm ray and i i e here in lolong islandd with my wife debra. patricia heaton: and in the very first season, ray says in ththe openening creditits... ray: it't's not realally about t the kids. patricia heaton: ...it's not about the kids. doriris: i say t that evevery year y you're overer, you shouldld add an ininch to the hem liline of yourur dres. frank:k: well thenen you shoule drdragging aroround a persrsia! jim mckakairnes: we'e've all l had parentnts who, despite ouour best efffforts, reject allll of our kikindness. and it bacackfires. doris: i i don't undnderstand why you u would usee bleach on n these totowels. patricicia: they j just seseemed a litittle yellowow.

doris: y yes, they'r're yellllow towels!s! papatricia heaton: we e all cocome into a a family. we need a a family. loveve them or h hate them that's w who we werere given. mara brock akil: the success of cosby resurrected the sitcom and d because ofof that usheren a lot of g great storyrytelli. jajacqueline coley: when the cosby show went off the air, we did have other black family sit-coms to fill that void, and one of them was the fresh prince, which was s another version ofof aspiratioional blacack family w wealth. will: : i didn't k know there were s so many brorothers liviving in thisis neighbhbourhood. we doingng alriright, huh?? jacquelinene coley: bubut fox s one of the firirst networkrks thatat really totook risk wiwitk sitcoms that had minority peoplele that werere very much part t of the wririting d the creaeation of itit. aramide tinububu: i thinkk it's v vital that t people of cololor write ththeir owown stories,s, because thatat's where t the authenenticity comomes from. [b[baby cryiying] gina: he's probably tired. martin: well he should be, kept us up all night gina.

we should be the ones crying! jacqueline coley: we saw black family sitcoms like martin, lilike the bernie mac show, those sitcoms showed, parenting to be difficult... bernie: uncle bernie, he's too old to play withth dolls. can we play something else? [drumming] jacqueline coley: which was not something you saw on a show like the cosby show. rochelelle: chris!s! get in the bathroom and wipe the pee off the toilet seat. disgususting... cedricic: fox netwtwork had come on n and did d really wel withth black sititcoms, and so thehen the wb a and un uh, , at the timime were coming on n and they start toto diversifyfy and growow that audidience. aramide titinubu: theyey are ae to snanatch up thihis audiene that the o other netwoworks wewere really y ignoring up intnto thatat point. jacqueliline coley: : and so these showows kind of f set te stage fofor the diveversity n the famimily sitcom that canan be seen o on telelevision tododay. man: welcocome huangngs, i'm m rick. nee e hau.

the lelength and d depth ofof my bow exexpresses my deep appreciaiation. louis: um,m, i thinknk that's more of f a japanesese thing. but t um..thankk you ririck.

♪ claiaire: if halaley never w s up o on a beach h in florida half nakaked, i've done my y job. phphil: our jojob.

claire: riright. i'i've done ouour job. patricick gomez: in the latate 90s, eararly 2000, yoyou see the e popularityy of reaeality televevision. and that had a huge impact on the family sitcom. steven levitan: everything was reality shows back then. the sisitcom was pronounceded dead, agagain. so c chris lloydyd and i sai, what's's a new wayay to do a fafamily show? and d then we sasaid what ifie shoot it dococumentary s style. stevenen levitan: ...and i instead of f focusingn onone family, , what if wee focusesed on multitiple famili? alex: dad,d, clclaire: whatat happenened? alex: lukeke just shot me! steve e levitan: w what we want to dodo is portraray thee charactersrs as real.. luluke: i didndn't mean t to. clclaire: are you okok? alexex: no! the e little bibitch shot m me... claire: : language! steve levivitan: but t the netwtwork said y you can't h ha kid swswear like t that, anand i said t that line came frorom my daughghter! my attitude e about it i is, teg storieies from ourur own livi, and d not being g afraid of those s stories, thatat's what pepeople can relatete to.

gloriaia: hi i'm g gloria pritchett,t, manny's's mothe. man: o oh this must be yoyour dad. jay: a actually nono i'm her r husband. don'n't be fooleled by the, , ue me a sececond here..... eve plumumb: none ofof these people looook like they would be a family,y, but ththey are. mimitch: what t the hehell is thatat? cacam: i had a andre do itt while e we were gogone. mitch: is s that usus with wingngs? jejesse tyler r fergusonon: i wawas just reaeally taken y the portrayal of a gay couple as part of an equal p part ofof the cast.t. jay:y: he was a a bit ofof a drama q queen. mitch: no,o, no no,o, stop. you comeme into my h house andu insultlt me and mymy boyfriendn, by thehe way, is n not thatat dramatic.c. [mususic from 'the lion n king'] jesse tyleler fergusonon: so whwhen he actutually reveaeals, it's's to the ththeme sosong from lilion king. ♪ i it's the cicircle of lie mitch:h: we adopted d a baby. daniel fieienberg: thihis loviny couplele who were e just adoptpa child, this wawas the mostst progreressive thining on broadt televivision at ththat partrticular momoment. jay: in this f family do w we k and punch h each otherer, or do wewe love each otherer?

mamanny and luluke: loveve each otheher. jay: t that's righght. i'llll be in thehe den. lorrainene ali: modedern famimily took ththis genre t t seemed kinind of playeyed out, u updated itt anand breatheded life back into o the familyly sitc. after r that, we s start to see morere perspectitives, new peperspectiveses, fresesh perspectctives. louiuis: you'r're goining to love e orlando. i've grorown to loveve it lilike the daughterr we wisished evevan had beeeen. ♪ constance wu: in fresh off the boat, an asianan american story centers the narrative as opopposed to b being likee the bubutt of the e joke. teacacher: i'd l like you all toto give a wawarm welcome t . hung, , gee... (struggleses with nameme.) eddie: yeaeah, call me eddieie! teacher: oh ththank god. constance wu: it's about an asian-american familily that moves frfrom a multiti-culturaly toto a very whwhite suburbrban. deirdre: oh hihi! wewelcome to t the neighbouourhood. i'm deirdrdre, this isis amandada, this is s samantha,

thisis is lisa..... coconstance wuwu: it was aa reallyly good windndow into hw mainstream c culture couould fl strange e to somebodody else. randalall park: "f"fresh off e boatat" made a m major impactn prproving to t the indudustry that t a show like this can be successful. constance wu: still to this day, i get people on the street who comeme up to me e in tears s sg how meaniningful it wawas seeing thehemselves represenented, and f feeling le you are a part of america. rarandall parkrk: it's a p pt of a progression of repepresentatioion in t tv. dre: okay,y, so i'm just youour standardrd, reregular old,d, incrediblby handndsome, unbebelievably charismatitic blacack dude. this d drooling, pigment challengnged mixed r race woman is m my wife. emily vanderwerff: black-ish is a family sitcom that is interested in talking about topics of racial identity in ways that television sometimes is uncocomfortablee about t discussingng. bow: you'r're not seririous abt naming o our kid davonte are y ? dre:e: i want aa strongng black name. rainbow: o oh boy.

dre: o okay, becauause we've given ouour kids whihite nams and d they've alall ended up blackck- ish. araramide tinunubu: the fafar feelels like hisis family is losing touch withth their roooots. he wanants them toto sort of know ththeir heritatage dre: i jusust want onene of y kids to enend up beingng black so i i can lolove it. malcolm m venable: w whereas e cosby y show was a a much morere sort of s safe kind of herere's us liviving every da, the blblack-ish fafamily is vy unapolologetic abobout their blacackness in w ways that really hadadn't been s seen on prime- titime telelevision befefore. dre: s so next sataturday, whn you u turn 13 3 you're bececog a man totoo, a blblack man. because i'i'm throwingng you anan africanan rites of pasassage ceceremony. andre: t that doeses not sosound as funun. zoeyey: no it dodoes not. emily vanderwerff:f: black -i-ish was a show that w was really gooood about talklking ababout indivividual sociaial s in a w way that wewe hadn't really s seen since e norman l. patrick k gomez: andnd that leas righght up to ththe reboot o ofn learar's 1970s clalassic, one day atat a time.

elena: i i get it, , we're cuban.n. lylydia: azucucar! isababella gomezez: it follos threree generatitions of latat. lydia:a: come on!!!! isabellala gomez: evererything t we w would get i into as a n nl famimily but thehen it also o ts a lot ofof things thatat are gg on in ththe world ththat normay are e seen as taboo. like queerer issues. penelolope: where e are we with the i idea tellining hi? elenena: who thihinks it's a good i idea to grereet my latatino veteraran dad d with "hey!y! i like gigi" penelope: : you'll fininally he somemething in c common. isabella gomez: : you know,, there'e's ptsd witith the mo, therere's anxietety and dedepression.. penelolope: when h he called ya naname, what d did he callll ? stupid, dudummy, goobeber? alex: hehe saw me anand yelllled build a a wall. elena: o oh my god.. isisabella gomomez: i thinint alallows audieiences to hahavee coconversationons in theirr own liliving roomsms. elelena: even n these daysys, is openly racist world. i manageged to neverer have a an incidentnt. pepenelope: yoyou and yourur br are of dififferent shahades. lydia:a: yes. papamela adlonon: if you p t somemething in y your show that's shohocking and radicacal. the hope i is in fifive years' ' time,

it's goingng to bebecome more e normal. elena: whoho even decicides whatat latinx lolooks like? i lolook latinx.x. penelopepe: of coursrse you do, you'rere beautifulul. i alwaysys thought y you lookoked like ananne hathawa. elelena: oh nono, no, no!! emilily vanderwewerff: the f fe of the famamily sitctcom to e is most present in shows like one day at a time; telling ststories ababout an amemerica you don't always see on t television,n, elelena: yeah!h! in ways s that are f funny, ad fresh,h, and invigigorating.. and if y you look atat the bet family sititcoms on tv right n , that's's what theyey're doin. elenena: anybodydy else wawants to knonow what's u ? this l latin amerirican familys heheaded to ththeir americican. patron: that is so c cool. annene hathaway just totalaly stooood up for t those mexici. ross: here we go. pipivot! pipivot!